After Tolo, we travelled around the Peloponnese and stopped at Methoni. According to the area guide, it was supposed to be particularly beautiful and we had not stopped the first time round because of the weather at that time..
Here you can see the lightning strikes (red dots) in the area. Mathias chose our route so that we remained as undisturbed as possible.
At one point, both our mobile phones rang very loudly. It was a Greek text message warning of the dangers of heavy thunderstorms.
In Methoni, we visited the old castle complex. The town itself made a nice impression, but Mathias was in “sail on” mode.
Our next stop was Katakolo, with an olive wood shop, which we had already visited on the way towards the Aegean Sea. By now we knew that the prices there are ok (despite the cruise ship terminal). So we visited this shop again.
Of course, there were also things to repair on the boat. The welds holding the metal frame around the anchor chain at the tip of the bow were torn. The foremost end of our boat was therefore flopping around unsightly and had to be held in place with ropes. Mathias tried to repair the weld seams with metal-reinforced epoxy in the hope that it would hold until France. The tip is only strained when setting and lifting anchors, otherwise we use a bridle.
One day we had a spontaneous visit from the neighbouring boat, the Joy. Peter, the skipper, had read Mathias’ app and article and was really enthusiastic about it. We got chatting and eventually also fetched his wife to join us. The conversation led to a meal together on board. Those are always nice experiences.
Now the route led us back to Kefalonia. It was calm there and Mathias was able to get into the mast to replace the wind sensor. The data on our display had failed. Kefalonia is also a good place to get diesel.
As there were still days left before we were due to meet Lukas, Mathias decided to sail to Corfu. An overnight trip took us there.
The town of Kerkyra is very crowded with tourists. Numerous small streets in the old town are pedestrianised and full of restaurants, cafés and souvenir shops. There was not just one olive wood shop to explore in this hustle and bustle, but quite a few. Our collection grew accordingly. On this shopping day, we got really stressed. We are no longer used to so many people and so much choice. A shop owner told us that the olive trees on Corfu are particularly large. Is that why there are so many craftsmen and traders here?
We stayed there one more day, but that was exactly the day the museums were closed (seems to be Tuesdays instead of Mondays in Greece), so no more culture, because we wanted to have some more time in Kefalonia.
Back in Kefalonia, we met the Joy and that same morning, after a night trip, the Panacea also arrived in the harbour. They moored at the quay to take on water. The watermaker has not yet been completed. All the crews were still too tired that day, but the next evening we went out for dinner with the crews of the three ships plus the skipper of the Jurawind. We are no longer used to so much socialising, but it’s fun.
Preparations for Lukas’s visit 😉
We also had to quickly order a new wind sensor because the one we had recently replaced had failed again. We eagerly awaited the tracking details in the hope that the spare parts would arrive in time for Lukas’ departure.
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It sounds as if you will be able to set up an olive wood shop of your own, if you buy any more!
I hope Lucas’s visit goes well – it will be good to see a familiar face again. Corfu may be busy too, but the tourist trade must be on the wane by now.
Annette